


Promise Me

by awhitehead17



Series: Kingdom AU [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst, Fights, Gen, Prequel, Self-Sacrifice, Slavery, Tim just cares for his brothers, bit of Violence, poor Tim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-16 00:32:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18510289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awhitehead17/pseuds/awhitehead17
Summary: “Aw hell no. That is not happening Tim. There is no way you’re sacrificing yourself so we can make a getaway. No way in hell.”“There is no other option! We’re running out of time!”“Not a chance in hell.” His brother growls out at him. “There’s always another option, we are not losing you too.”





	Promise Me

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a continuation of my Kingdom AU. This one is more of a prequal to the last bit I wrote and it deals with what happened when the boys were on the run and how Tim came to be Ra’s slave. 
> 
> Enjoy! :D

They each tense up as the sheet they’ve hung up gets pulled back. A figure steps through and once they realise who it was they relax. It was just their brother, back from his little hunting trip.

“I only managed to get a few little bits and pieces guys. It got to a point where people were looking at me funny like they recognised who I was, I had to get away before they came to any conclusions.”

Their brother closes the sheet behind him and settles down on the floor in front of them as he opens up his side bag to show the goods he’s been able to get. The oldest of their group brings out one small loaf of bread, a couple fresh apples and pears, a few strips of bacon and a couple bottles of water.

It wasn’t a lot considering there’s four mouths to feed but between them they make it work. It certainly wasn’t the high quality of food they were used to but at least they weren’t starving. At least not yet. 

Tim pays his brothers no attention as he stares at the closed sheet behind the oldest. They had taken refuge in a small cave they had found and was using a bed sheet to cover up the entrance, it was there to give them some space and privacy. They were just on the outskirts of the kingdom now, so they were still in the danger zone of being discovered and taken back to the palace which means they still need to be careful.

They were on the run, hiding from the new king who had taken over the Wayne Kingdom. Their father, who once ruled the kingdom, was now dead thanks to this new ruler. His death was heavy on their hearts and chests, none of them taking it well to what had happened a few weeks prior to their situation now. Since then they’ve become closer as brothers and as a family.

The four of them, as princes to the throne, were forced to go on the run. It was either to run, to be held as captives and treated like slaves or be killed. They took their chances in running. They made their way through the kingdom, avoiding everyone like they had a plague simply because no one could be trusted. There was a bounty placed on each of their heads and none of them were risking it to seek help and shelter.

After the first couple nights on the run they came up with the plan of traveling south to the El Kingdom. They were good friends with the king and his family, some _more_ than others, and going there to seek help and shelter seemed like the best idea. The El’s could be trusted and the four of them had hope that the El’s would be willing to fight for them in order to get control of the Wayne Kingdom back, to help kill the bastard who killed their father and who now calls himself king.

“Hey Timmy,” the calls gets his attention. Blinking he looks away from the sheet and over to his brother. “You gotta eat. Stop using that brain of yours and eat up. You need the strength.”

Tim frowns but looks down at the small pile that’s been placed by his feet. He picks up a slice of bread and starts to nibble on it. Silence settles over them as they eat, food was becoming a more precious thing each day. Before the attack on their kingdom they could eat whatever they wanted, they had all the wealth in the country but now they merely had scraps, having to go scavenging for food and water. The sad thing was that they all know that it’s only going to get worse from here onwards.

“So,” Jason starts looking at each of them, “How long do we think it’s going to take from here to get to the El’s?”

Dick shrugs, “It’s hard to tell, though from here it’s pretty much straight forward to there. While that sounds nice and easy, we’ve got to think about hiding, food and water. It’s not going to be an easy journey but we need to get there, the kingdom’s future is depending on it.”

Jason snorts, “This is ridiculous. This whole situation is just ridiculous. It’s not fair, what have we done to deserve this? We aren’t bad people. We cared for every single fucker in this kingdom, we did what we could for the homeless, tried to make the streets a safer place for the people to live and this is what we get!”

Tim feels the weight of his brother’s words rest heavy in his heart, knowing that he isn’t wrong. Dick sighs, “I know, but there’s not a lot we can do right now. What we can do is get to the El’s and ask for help. By now they’ve probably heard about what’s happened, we just need to get there and make a plan.”

Jason shakes his head and mutters something unintelligible but otherwise remains silent this time. After that particular conversation there’s a heavy silence around them now. Tim looks away from Jason to the other two, Dick looks like he’s in deep thought and Damian was looking back at him. They make eye contact but don’t say anything. After a moment they look away from one another and Tim decides to focus back on the food in front of him.

* * *

“Guys! Guys! GUYS! WAKE UP!”

Tim shoots upright into a sitting position as the shout wakes him up. He blinks and looks around trying to get his bearings together. Next to him another a body moves into a sitting position.

“Jason? What’s wrong?” Dick’s voice was groggy from where he hasn’t woken up yet.

Tim, watches as Jason lunges forward and grabs Dick by the arm to hull him up onto his feet. He then proceeds to drag Dick out of the cave without any explanation.

“What’s going on? Where are they going?”

Tim turns to his younger brother and shrugs, “I have no idea. Somethings wrong because Jason’s panicking, he must have spotted something while on watch.”

Between the two of them they pack up their belongings (which wasn’t a lot at this point) and anxiously wait for their older brothers to come back. It’s a good five minutes before they appear again, both of them bursting into the cave wearing expressions of fear on their faces.

“We gotta go! Like right now. Let’s go.”

Tim shares a concerned look with Damian but quickly rises to his feet. Apparently he wasn’t quick enough because Jason surges forward, grabbing his own bag from Tim’s arm before grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the cave. Dick was right behind them doing the same to Damian. Once clear of the cave Dick rolls up the sheet and stuffs it into his own bag before grabbing Damian’s hand and leading them away.

Tim stumbles behind Jason, it takes a while but eventually he’s able to free his wrist from his brothers grasp and speeds walk to keep up with him. “Guys what’s going on, what’s with the sudden need to leave?”

“There are guards nearby. A lot of them. We need to get out of the area before they find us and trap us like birds in a cage.”

Tim doesn’t say anymore as Dick leads the four of them into the surrounding woods. He makes a mental note that they were in fact going in the direction they needed to go in to get to the El Kingdom however they don’t have enough supplies with them to last very long in the woods. That’s why they were hanging around the outskirts of their kingdom to begin with, it was just so they could have a chance to build up supplies before they enter the surrounding forest but obviously they don’t have that chance anymore. They’ll just have to make do.

“They’ve gone into the woods! Spread out and find them!”

The booming voice could be heard from somewhere close behind them and the four of them freeze in place as the order was shouted. They each share a wide eyed look because that wasn’t good.

“Someone must have seen us enter the forest.” Jason snaps at them, Tim knows that the real anger wasn’t actually at them but rather at the situation they’re now in. “There’s no way the guards would be this close to us already.”

“We need to keep going.” Dick tells them with a serious look. “We just need to keep moving, maybe we can out run them, find another place to hide until they give up.”

Jason opens his mouth to protest, before he could however another shout from behind them could be heard. “This way!”

After that the four of them waste no more time and carry on in the direction they were originally going, all of them hoping to make some space between them and the guards chasing them. They run between trees, around bushes and even jumping over roots as they go, all of it in desperation to get away. They couldn’t allow themselves to be captured because who knows what fate is in store for them if they caught, it’d be anything from being forced into a slave or instantly killed.

They run for what seems like hours and when it seems like that they may have some leeway it turns out that they really didn’t, the guards weren’t far behind them at all. They could hear them shouting and orders being called, at times they could even hear footsteps right behind them and that alone showing how close they really were.

The four of them risk a break in order to catch their breaths. They hide behind a thick tree trunk and crouch down next to a large root that’s sprung up from underneath the ground. While they were all physically fit, running for countless of hours was really starting to catch up to them and in result they pass around one of their precious water bottles as they get control of their breathing.  

“This isn’t working.” Jason growls out between deep breaths. “We aren’t losing them at all, they’ve been on our tails from the very start! We need to do something, come up with a plan to try and get rid of them, or at least something that’ll give us a chance to get a head start. Maybe we could set a trap?”

Dick shakes his head, “There isn’t enough time Jason, as much as I would love to trap them and get away we just don’t have the time to set a trap up. They’d catch us before we even finish it.”

“Well we have to do something!” Jason exclaims getting in Dick’s face.

At that point Tim blocks his older brothers out as they start bickering about what they should do in this situation. Of course arguing isn’t helping them at all right now but Tim just lets them do it because it seems like the eldest two need to release some anger and tension.

Tim turns his attention to their surroundings. The woods were like any other woods, tall trees around them, thick roots erupting from the ground and a mixture of green, yellow and brown leaves were everywhere. The weather was surprisingly alright, it was dry and warm so at least they weren’t traveling (running) in the rain and getting drenched.

Another shout from the guards chasing them gets his attention. He turns desperately to his brothers to find them now glaring at one another.

This wasn’t good. At this rate they would all be captured and all the running they have done would have been all for nothing. Jason was right, they did need a plan of action or at least something! They could keep running but with the way things are looking they’ll be closed in on within an hour or so.

In that moment Tim gets an idea. It’s one that he certainly isn’t fond of, one that he knows his brothers will protest greatly against but it’s one that may work for what they need it to.

“I’ve got an idea.” He blurts out, successfully gaining the attention of his brothers. They all stare at him wide eyed, both in confusion and in question. Tim stands up and takes off his bag, he shoves it in Damian’s arms before making serious eye contact with them all. “It should work as long as you three stay hidden and make a run for it when the time is right.”

“Wait what?”

“What on earth are you on about?

“Us three? Tim?”

Tim glances around the forest yet again, this time the yelling and footsteps were getting louder, they’re getting closer and time was running out.

“Just promise me…” he starts, his voice almost breaking as he speaks, “Just promise me that you’ll make it to the El Kingdom.”

That’s when it finally clicks in his brothers about his idea. As predicted they weren’t happy. “Aw hell no. That is not happening Tim. There is no way you’re sacrificing yourself so we can make a getaway. No way in hell.”  

Tim shakes his head, making eye contact with Jason, “There is no other option! We’re running out of time!”

Jason stands up and grabs his arm, his grip is unforgiving and his glare is actually frightening. “ _Not a chance in hell._ ” His brother growls out at him. “There’s always another option, we are not losing you too.”

Tim could feels the tears building up behind his eyes from the overwhelming emotions of the situation at hand. He looks away from Jason to Dick and Damian who were staring up at him with conflicted expressions. He turns back to Jason and rests his hand against Jason’s on his arm.

“Please Jason, you gotta let me go. This is the only option, just promise me, _promise me_ , that you’ll get to the El Kingdom, convince Kal-El to fight with us and then come for me and save our kingdom.” Tim’s voice was shaking from where he’s keeping his emotions at bay, he wouldn’t let himself break, not now. He needs to be strong, strong for his brothers, strong for the Wayne Kingdom.

Jason shakes his head in protest, however when he speaks his voice has lost its bite that it was laced with just moments ago, his voice was now _begging_ him. “Please Timmy, don’t do this. We can find another way…”

Tim works Jason’s fingers off of his arm before giving his brother a hug, knowing this could be the very last one he’ll ever get from him. Jason immediately clings onto him. It’s too soon when they break apart but time was short, a lot shorter than Tim would like it to be.

Moving away from Jason, Tim goes over to Damian, he gives his younger brother a quick squeeze, whispering “Please be safe, keep those two in check for me and I’ll see you on the other side,” into his ear before letting go. Damian doesn’t say anything back to him, instead his younger brother gives him a firm nod. Tim certainly doesn’t miss the way Damian wipes his eyes as he moves away from him.

Lastly he goes over to Dick, like with the others he wraps his arms around his eldest brother and clings on tightly. Tears were threatening to fall down his face but Tim doesn’t let them, he will not cry, not in front of his brothers. Not at a time like this. As he clings onto Dick he says, “I’ve got to do this. It’s the only way. I hate it but it’s the only option.”

“I know, Timmy, I know. I hate it too.” Dick’s voice was horse, like he was just barely keeping himself together in these last desperate moments together. “I love you little brother don’t forget that.”

“Promise me Dick, promise me you’ll get there.”

“I promise.”

Finally hearing those two words Tim moves away from Dick, letting the older man go and before any more could be said Tim turns around and jumps over the tree root they had been hiding behind and runs out into the open space of the forest.

The footsteps he had been hearing were even closer now than before, making a quick decision Tim moves behind a different tree several feet away from where his brothers were hiding. He hopefully can make a big enough distraction for them to use so they could get away.

Tim anxiously waits behind the tree, waiting for the right moment to strike, the plan he has in mind is to simply attack the set of guards that walk past him. As he waits he decides to grab a nearby branch and holds it up like a bat. He’s going to need all the help he can get while pulling this stunt, he just hopes that his brothers do what they promised him and make a break for it instead of jumping in and attacking the guards themselves.

Soon enough Tim’s first victim passes by the tree he was using as cover. Jumping out from behind it Tim swings the branch and clocks the guard in the head, he falls limp to the ground unconscious. Having the advantage of a surprise attack Tim’s able to get three more guards down by the time they get their wits about them and start fighting back.

“We’ve found one! He’s here, get the boss!”

Tim ignores the shout as he launches his own punches and kicks to the guards now surrounding him. Thank god for the self-defence training Bruce had made him take because it’s actually being useful right now.

Unfortunately this small victory he was having doesn’t last very long because moments later a kick to his stomach winds him, causing him to double over. After that a punch to the side of the head causes him to collapse onto the floor. From there hands were instantly on him, manhandling him around until he’s pinned on his stomach on the cold, leaf covered floor of the forest. His arms were pinned above his head, multiple hands pin his legs down to the ground and there was one set of hands pinning his hips down.

He struggles against their holds and at one point he does manage to break one arm free and sucker punch a guard in the eye but he was quickly overpowered and that arm was pinned back down to the floor, this time even harder. Despite how useless it is he continues to squirm and fight against them. He’s not giving up so easily.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

The voice makes Tim freeze on the spot, the voice that was speaking sends chills down through his body which causes goose bumps to appear over his arms. Tim knows that nothing good will come from the person whom is speaking to him.

He’s completely unprepared for fingers to tightly grip his hair and yank his head up in a ruthless manor that he lets out a hiss of pain. Clenching his teeth together Tim glares at the face that appears in front of him. The man who has a hold on him is glaring back through one eye in a calculating manor, the other was covered with an eye patch and his lips were curled in a sinister smile

Tim swallows thickly as he looks at the man in front of him. He doesn’t know him, doesn’t even recognise him.

“So we’ve manged to capture Prince Timothy. Ra’s will be happy that we’ve managed to catch at least one of them.”

Tim carries on glaring at him, instantly hating him. He squirms against the hold, trying to once again break free but the hand in his hair somehow tightens its grip and suddenly his face was being slammed against the ground. The collision makes him stop moving as pain explodes in his skull, unable to help it he lets out an agonized sound.

The hand in his hair finally lets go and Tim allows his head fall to the ground, no longer bothering to try and escape. His head was now pounding which makes it hard to focus and his body was starting to ache from where he’s being held down.

“Let’s get something straight Timothy,” the man in front of him says, “You now _belong_ to the king and any attempts at escape will be dealt with in punishment.” Tim’s vaguely aware of the man turning away from him and as he addresses the guards he’s with. “Now then, we’ve wasted enough time as it is so I will take him back to the palace while most of you carry on hunting the others. I will join you as soon as I have claimed some of my reward.”

There’s more commotion going on around him but Tim doesn’t pay it much attention as the pounding inside his skull was taking away all of his focus. He does however notice when all of the restraining hands let his limbs go but before he could even move, his arms were being forced down behind his back and he feels cold metal brushing against his wrists before it suddenly becomes painfully tight around them. _Handcuffs,_ his pain addled mind supplies.

Tim is then being dragged up onto his feet. The sensation of suddenly being up straight causes a wave of vertigo to go through him and he would have fallen over if it weren’t for the hands holding tightly onto him. Just as he was getting his head around that there was as piece of fabric being forced over his mouth and between his teeth. He lets out a sound of protest when it’s tightened and is made into a gag. He bites into the fabric hard and glares at the eye patch man still in front of him.

“Unfortunately, I can’t restrain your legs as I need you to walk, but…” the man then pulls out a knife and holds it up menacingly to Tim’s face, he could feel the sharp point of it being traced lightly over his skin. The touch of the knife makes him nervous but he doesn’t let it show, instead he continues to glare at the man as he continues to taunt Tim with the weapon.

“I’m sure that you’re not going to try and run away because if you do there will be consequences and it’s safe to say that I’m not afraid of getting messy. The king wants you alive but he didn’t say anything about not harming you during the process.”

The knife disappears but Tim doesn’t relax as Eye Patch was still glaring and sneering at him.

“Now lets go before we waste any more time.” He barks at the guards around him. The hands on Tim disappear and he’s roughly shoved forwards in the silent message of _get moving_. Tim does as he’s told to knowing that there wasn’t a way out of this. Eye Patch was clearly happy about using force in order to get him to co-operate and Tim really didn’t fancy testing those waters.

As he walks forwards with a gag tied around his mouth and his hands handcuffed behind his back all Tim can think about is his brothers and their safety. Hopefully they’ve made use of Tim’s distraction and have made enough of a gap to give them a good chance of getting to the El Kingdom without getting caught. Hopefully they’ll pull through with their promise and in the future they’ll come with the El Kingdom and fight back so they could reclaim the Wayne Kingdom as their own.

Tim has faith in his brothers and what they’re capable of, all it is now is a matter of time in how long it’ll take them to get to the neighbouring kingdom and how long it’ll take them to come to his rescue.


End file.
